Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

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More people than ever were injured in auto accidents in New York City and the number of cyclists deaths was back at its highest during the second trimester of 2019.  Despite a significant decline in the total number of accidents recorded by the NYPD during the period of April, May and June, more motorists, passengers and cyclists were injured in accidents during the second trimester of 2019 than during the same period of 2018. Pedestrians were the only NYC road users that recorded a decline in injuries compared to the same period of 2018.

auto accident nyc second trimester 2019
16,084 people were injured in NYC traffic accidents during the second trimester of 2019 compared to respectively 15,624, 15,315, 15,604, 13,461, 13,703 and 14,443 during the second trimester of 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013. This is the first time that the number of accident injuries in New York goes over 16,0000 during the second trimester. Motorists are the ones who are the most frequently injured in car accidents. They account for almost half of the cases. Passengers injuries account for almost a third of the injuries.

Car Accident Injuries New York Second trimester 2019
After a steady decline from 2015 to 2018, auto accident fatalities increased again during the second trimester of 2019.  24 pedestrians, 17 motorists, 7 cyclists and 6 passengers died in traffic accidents in New York City last April, May and June.

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a woman was killed in this location after her husband pinned her between the car and the guard railA woman was killed after her husband mowed her down at a NYC car wash. 50 year old Marco Salas and his wife, 51 year old Isabel Cohetero were washing their car at a BP service station on Eliot Ave in Queens when the accident occurred. The couple had finished rinsed off their jeep when it started to slowly roll backward. The husband realized it was in reverse and jumped in the car to stop it. In the rush he hit the gas instead of the breaks and pinned her between the car and the guardrail. The husband realizing what he did, frantically ran to the station to ask for help. Isabel was rushed to the hospital but she didn’t survive.

The couple has been living for the last 24 year at the same address in Ridgewood. They have two sons and a daughter. According the the NY Daily News, the husband was struggling to keep it together after the terrible accident.

Bringing a claim against a family member is always difficult

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SUV involved in the fatal hit and run accidentA pedestrian was killed in a hit and run accident in NYC on father’s day. Christopher Nieves, a 37 year old dad was struck by a brown 2004 Chevy Tahoe with a New York plate reading CRR 5224 and a sticker that says “Salt Life” on the rear window.  The police are now looking for the person who was behind the wheel of this SUV. The accident occurred a little bit after 6:00 am on father’s day. Christopher Nieves was trying to hail a cab when he was struck by the SUV speeding down the street. The driver never stopped. At the time of the accident, Christopher was with two friends who tried to pull him back when they saw the SUV but it was too late.

Nieves was rushed to the hospital but he couldn’t be saved.

Anyone who has information about the driver can contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

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NYC Personal Injury Lawyers Howard Hershenhorn and Diana Carnemolla

Congratulations to our partners NY Personal Injury Lawyers Howard Hershenhorn and Diana Carnemolla as well as their legal assistant Richard Soldano, for obtaining the Highest Jury Verdict in New York State in 2018. This verdict is also the 25th highest jury verdict in the entire country for 2018.

NY #1 Verdict In Sipher v. Twin America LLC, the jury awarded $85 million to a pedestrian who was ran over by a red double decker sightseeing tour bus in New York. The verdict was delivered on December 4th 2018 after a week trial during which Howard Hershenhorn and Diana Carnemolla tried the case on behalf of the injured plaintiff before the Hon. Barbara Jaffe in New York Supreme Court. The jury awarded to the victim $45 million for past pain and suffering and $40 million for future pain and suffering.

The accident occurred on July 3rd 2015 in downtown Manhattan. The victim was crossing 6th Avenue in the crosswalk with  the light in his favor when he was struck by a sightseeing bus making a left turn from West 4th Street onto 6th Avenue.

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location of the Staten Island car crash3 people were injured in a car crash in Statent Island, NYC.  Wednesday night around 9:40 pm  when a 20 year-old female driver driving with a suspended license, tried to make a right turn from the center lane of Hylan Boulevard onto Bryant Avenue.

The accident occurred in front of the NYPD 122nd precinct. The young woman who was driving a Dodge Charger collided with a Honda Accord seriously injuring the driver and his two passengers. The driver, a 50 year old man and the two passengers an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old girl were rushed to the hospital.

The driver was taken into custody and is expected to be charged with driving with a suspended license.

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New-York-School-Zone-Speed-CameraIn New York, speed cameras have proven to be one of the most efficient ways to prevent car accidents and save pedestrian lives especially children and seniors. After Governor Cuomo signed a new law allowing the expansion of the school zone speed camera program in New York City (see previous blog), mayor de Blasio recently announced that the number of speed cameras in New York City would gradually increase from 140 now to 750 in 2020.

The number of hours during which the speed cameras will be operating is expected to almost double

Additionally and starting July 11 speed cameras will operate weekdays from 6 AM to 10 PM. They will not only operate during school hours as it was the case before. The new law also expands the distance at which cameras can be installed from the school. As a result additional speed cameras will be installed in dangerous locations such as West End Ave, First Avenue in Manhattan, Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island, Northern Boulevard in Queens and Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
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The monthly number of traffic accidents in New York City in April was at its lowest since 2014 for the month of April. There were 16,632 motor vehicle accidents reported to the NYPD last April compared to respectively 17,893 17,585, 18,265, 16,671 16,265 16,412 in April 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.  NYC car accidents have been on a rising trend since 2013. However recent numbers show that over the last 12 months the number of accidents has been slightly decreasing compared to the record numbers of 2017.

Despite a decrease in the number of accidents, the number of people injured in these accidents continues to rise. 4,701 people were injured in motor vehicle accidents in New York last April compared to respectively 4,578, 4,444, 5,040, 3,878, 4,007 and 4,409 in April 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

16 people died in traffic accident in the city last April compared to 12 during the same month a year before and 11 in April 2017. Traffic fatalities are on a declining trend in New York since Mayor de Blasio implemented the Vision Zero Program. While the monthly traffic deaths were above 20 in April 204 and 2015 they stayed below 20 for the last 4 years, reaching their lowest for a month of April in 2017 with 11 deaths.

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Location of the fatal accident caused by drunk driver Upstate NY3 people died and 6 were injured in a car accident in Upstate New York on Sunday morning. The victims were all members of the same family and were on their way to Niagara Falls. They were all riding in a Kia Sedona minivan when they were T-boned by a drunk driver who blew a stop sign in Sheldon, a small town in Upstate New York.

Among those who died were 4 year old Kiara Hernandez, her mother, 32 year old Mayelin Broti-Castro and her grandmother, 47 year old Ondina Castro de la Cruz. 6 other family members all from Perth Amboy, NJ, were also injured in the crash and taken to the hospital. The driver was identified as 20 year old Richard Sawicki. He was also injured in the accident, transported to the hospital and later on taken into custody where he is being held in lieu of $200,000 bond. He is facing vehicular homicide, DWI and reckless driving charges. He is due in Court on June 10.

Drunk Driver blew the stop sign

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3 pedestrians were injured in a car accident in Long Island, NY, after a drunk driver jumped the curb and struck them. 66-year-old Mitchell  Messling was intoxicated and witnesses said he was driving erratically on West Merrick Road in Freeport when he jumped the curb and struck a family of 3 yesterday afternoon around 4:00 pm.  A 11-year-old boy was seriously injured and had to be evacuated by helicopter while his parents were rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

The driver was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, second-degree vehicular assault, two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of driving while intoxicated, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving. He is due in Court Today in Hempstead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6QRlyQjnVs

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Location of the fatal pedestrian accident in HarlemA NYC pedestrian was among the several people who died in New York traffic accidents during this Memorial Day Holiday. 55 year old Leon Frazier was crossing the street when he was hit by a car making a left turn from W. 112 Street onto Malcom X Boulevard in Harlem. The pedestrian died at the scene of the accident. The 27 year old driver stayed at the scene of the accident. The accident occurred early Saturday morning around 4:00 am in an area which is known to be dangerous. According to statistics, 2 cyclists, 4 pedestrians and 13 motorists were injured in 25 accidents last year in this area.

Read more in Street Blog

Satellite view of the location of the accident courtesy of Google Map